Semantic Analysis of the Tool-Meaning Quasi-Affixes “Jī, Qì, Yí and Jì”

Based on the examination of ancient Chinese language materials, this article further compares the semantic features of the tool-meaning quasi-affixes jī 机, qì 器, yí 仪, jì 计 in Chinese. The research reveals that compared to X qì 器, tools referred to by X jī 机 often have a more complex internal structure involving energy conversion. X qì 器, on the other hand, is commonly used to refer to higher-level concepts, expressing the overall meaning of “tool”, with a simpler internal structure compared to X jī 机. X jì 计, due to the verb meaning of “jì 计”, refers to tools with quantitative measurement, forming relatively limited tool names. The most prominent feature of X yí 仪 is “imaging”, often requiring precision and accuracy, giving a sense of sophistication, scientificity, and professionalism. It was also observed that in Chinese, naming some tools using the “function + jī/ qì 机/器” word formation pattern can lead to unclear references. Therefore, other characteristic suffixes indicating form are chosen for word formation.